Pineapple flan {Flan de piña}

I enjoy a good flan every now and then, but if it were up to Nicolas we would eat flan every day. I also like to have a change from the classic vanilla flan and add different flavors to the flans. In Ecuador, especially on the coast, it is very common to find flans made with pineapple, coconut, mango, or other fruit. I’ve mentioned before that when I’m cooking for friends I like to make desserts that are relatively low maintenance and that can be made ahead so that I can focus on the appetizers and main meal; flan definitely falls into this category.

To make the caramel, bring 1 cup of sugar and ½ cup of water to a boil over medium heat and boil until it gets a deep amber color, about 8-10 minutes.

Pour the hot caramel into the previously buttered flan molds or ramekins and try to distribute it evenly on the bottom of the molds.

Combine the pineapple juice with the sugar and tapioca starch in a small saucepan over low heat and bring to a boil, keep an eye on it as it is prone to boil over, let simmer until it begins to thicken, about 5-8 minutes, remove and cool completely.

Pre-heat oven to 350 F

Beat the eggs on low speed; slowly mix in the pineapple mixture, the milk, the vanilla, and the rum until well combined

Strain the flan mixture and pour into the caramel coated molds.

Place the flan molds in the oven dish with water – the water should cover at least ½ of the height of the ramekins - and bake until the flans solidify, about 45-50 minutes.

Let the flans cool completely, then refrigerate for a couple of hour.

To help release the flans place the ramekins in a bowl with warm water before serving to melt the caramel and loosen the flan.

Serve alone or accompanied by fresh berries or with caramelized pineapple slices

Caramelized pineapple slices

Pour a spoonful of brown sugar over a pineapple slice and place under the broiler until the sugar begins to bubble and caramelize.

I used freshly made pure pineapple juice for this flan, you have to strain it and then let the foam rise to the top and remove the foam, but if you are in a hurry you can substitute with a good quality store bought pineapple juice, though you might want to reduce the amount of sugar for the flan if the store bought juice already has sugar. I used whole milk for this pineapple flan because I was out of evaporated milk and it worked just fine. Whenever we made any type of flan with my high school friends we always used evaporated milk or condensed milk or a mix of both, I’m not sure why but a lot of Latin American desserts use them. We were talking about this with some friends from Mexico the other day and our guess was that it has something to do with marketing by a certain large Swiss food product company combined with the fact that not even a decade ago refrigerators were luxury items in many places so many dairy products are sold in cans and sealed bags. This recipe makes about 10 small individual flans, you can also use a large flan mold as well, just adjust the cooking time.

This is a really awesome recipe!!! I had to make flan for spanish class and four kids ended up making flan, too! But mine definitely won for best taste, I went home with an empty dish! The pictures made it really easy to follow and delicious despite not including the rum and pineapple slices. Thanks so much for the great recipe!

hi
and all i got to sAY IS THANKYOU WHY? IM A LATINA GIRL(MEXICAN) AND MY HUSBAND IS Ecudorian so its hard to please him in table but ur site had help at the best i love your encabollado de pescado at this moment im making the flan it already smells great its late but is a surprised for my husband for fathers day alonge with your chicken and rice special request i never heard about it but he mention something call sopa de avena with potatoes help me out if you know i just can figure out if that suppose to be swt or salt taste different for me thankyou hope to see new things in your site

My goodness!
This blog is great by all meanings :)
I have been browsing for a flan de coco or flan de piña recipe and I came across your pictures on Google, I click and it linked me here to your very well organized and presented blog, Thank you for sharing this great recipes and the easy to follow steps, I will definitely be making this flan for a baby shower this weekend :)
Keep up the great work, much blessing!

I only found your website a few days ago, and already I am a huge fan. Your writing and photography are exceptionally talented. You mention in your personal info section that you may have some grammar mistakes since English is your second language, but I have found that your grammar and spelling is much better than many of us who are native speakers. Bravo, and I really appreciate you sharing your talents, knowledge and skill with us!

I made your Empanadas Mendocinas for dinner tonight, and they were outstanding. I have two more meals in the freezer for my husband and myself, and I’m hoping the convenience of that and their deliciousness will help me get over the time investment in your glorious recipe, and put me in the mood to make them again soon. They are truly a labor of love, at least for a first-timer like me.

Would it be sacrilege to top the meat mixture with a slice of Colby-Jack instead of the eggs and olive? My husband is a huge cheese fanatic.

I was trying to remember this recipe that has been always “the hit” of my grandmother (she is 94!!!). Now that I am living out of Equador, I miss so much the “flan de piña” that I need to make it at home. Its taste reminds me of my big family, my childhood, everything that I love. Thank you Laylita!!!
p.d. there are more desserts made with condensed milk in Brazil than anywhere else in the world!!!

I made this recipe. A couple of comments:
1) I tried blending and straining the pineapple to get juice…didn’t work. it wouldn’t starin when I used a fine mesh and strained everything when I used a coarser one. So I just used the whole blended pineapple(which surprisingly was exactly 2 1/2 cups!)
2) Tried straining the egg mixture but again was too thick to strain, so just poured it in the ramekins directly.
3) Even though a whole pineapple went in it, it didn’t taste much of pineapple at all…I was kind of disappointed about that.
BUT, apart from all the issues I faced, this was an excellent recipe…so thanks!
My husband and I both enjoyed the flan after dinner tonight and are already looking forward to it for tomorrow’s dinner :)

this recipe sounds delicious.. but how do i remove juice from a fresh pinapple? Can i substitue canned pineapple juice from concentrate, instead of fresh?

thanks

mari

Hi Mari – Cut a peeled pineapple in small chunks and blend them up until you get a thick puree, then strain and there you have the juice, and yes you can just use canned juice also (just reduce the sugar since it usually has additional sugar).

awesome recipes you got. i am from zamboanga a place in the philippines with mix culture of spanish and south american. i’ve been looking all over for new dishes similar to my taste. and i came across your website. wow! everything is delicious and healthy. Thanks

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Layla Pujol is an Ecuadorian modern-day nomad who loves to cook and travel. She lives in Seattle and is currently working on her first cookbook, which will focus on delicious Ecuadorian and Latin recipes (adapted to her style). More